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PLAYGROUNDS 

and 

RECREATION 
CENTERS 



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BOATING ON LAKE MERRITT 



CITY of OAKLAND 
CALIFORNIA 






Board of Playground Directors 

Miss Ethel Moore, President 

Prof. Hermann Kower, Vice-President 

Mrs. J. A. Vandegrift 

Arthur G. Tasheira 

Albert W. Palmer 



Geo. E. Dickie 

Superintendent of Recreation 

B. H. Paul 

Chief Clerk 

Jay B. Nash 
General Supervisor of Boys' Activities 

Miss AVinifred Van Hagen 

General Supervisor of Girls Activities 



CONTENTS 

Page 

Introduction 3 

Athletics 3-4 

Playground Activities 4-6 

Boat House and Aquatic Sports 6-7 

Statistics showing Growth of Recreation 

Department 8 

Location of Playgrounds 9-11 



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Recreation Department 

City of Oakland, California 



OAKLAND is known as a city of homes, 
schools, churches, factories and commerce, 
but when the day's work is done her citi- 
zens may turn to abundant opportunities 
for pleasure and recreation. 

The average adult has from six to eight 
hours per day of leisure time. That is, 
one-fourth to one-third of one's lifetime. 
A large part of this time is given over to amusement, 
recreation and play of various sorts. Children spend 
even a greater part of their time in this way. 

Healthy and normal play and recreation make for 
better and more efficient citizenship. Play is the im- 
portant and vital part of a child's development, and 
pome form of recreation is also necessary to the 
adult if he is to achieve his maximum power. Even 
the old horse when turned out to pasture plays and 
frolics and returns to work with renewed ginger. 

Oakland may well be called the City of Playgrounds. 
The Oakland Recreation Department maintains thirty- 
eight playgrounds and recreation centers the year 
'round. Thirty of these are school yard playgrounds 
and eight are large park recreation centers. In addition 
to the playgrounds for children, many sports and pas- 
times are provided for the adults. The recreation 
grounds are becoming more popular every day. Tennis, 
baseball, football, volley ball and folk dancing are the 
favorite sports for grown ups. Social center buildings 
are available for club meetings, lectures, entertainments 
and dancing. Each recreation center or playground is 
in charge of trained supervisors whose duties are to 
lead and protect the children in their play and to pro- 
mote and organize games, sports and other activities 
for all patrons of the grounds. 

All of these opportunities are under the management 
of the Board of Playground Directors and are free to 
the public. Good behavior is the only password. 

The following are some of the principal activities to 
be found in the recreation grounds: 

ATHLETICS. 

Both informal and organized athletic games of all 
kinds are provided on the playgrounds. A number of 
baseball leagues are conducted and any boy who wishes 
to may engage in the national game. There are ten 
public tennis courts in Oakland, which receive constant 
use during the leisure hours of the people. The courts 
are frequently used for exhibition and match games by 
expert players. Maurice McLaughlin, world's amateur 
tennis champion, occasionally uses the courts at Moss- 
wood park for exhibition games and pronounces these 
courts to be equal to the best. 

Several basketball courts are provided at each play- 
ground and leagues organized in which as many as five 
or six teams are entered from a single playground. 
Volley ball is a new game, but during the past year has 
become very popular. During the fall season football 



is given much attention, the Soccer, American and 
Rugby games all being played. The Oakland and Poly- 
technic High schools used the Bay View football field 
last season for practice and match games. 

Field and track meets are frequently held during the 
spring season. Classifications, events and leagues are 
provided in the above sports so that any amateur may 
enter, regardless of age. 

The following is the yearly athletic schedule of the 
Oakland playgrounds. Participation in these events is 
open and free to all: 

Section 1. The games, sports and athletic events on 
the playgrounds shall be classified as follows: 

a. Major Sports— Baseball, track and field meets, 
soccer football, swimming, tennis, volley ball, German 
bat ball, hand ball. 

b. Minor Sports — Basketball, rugby football. 
Contestants in the minor sports shall be classified 

according to weight; while contestants in the major 
sports shall be classified as follows: 

Bantams: 12 years of age; 4 ft. 10 in. in height 

Midgets: 13 years of age; 5 ft. in height 

Intermediates: 15 years of age; 5 ft. 5 in. in height 
Juniors: 17 years of age; 5 ft. 10 in. in height 

Seniors: Under 21 years and no height qualifica- 

tion, or older by agreement. 
Section 2. Playground games, sports and athletic 
events, in accordance with the seasons, shall be played 
as follows: 

1. Spring sports shall start the l?th of March and end 
with the close of school, and shall include: 

Baseball: to begin the first Saturday in April. 
Individual athletic tests: to be conducted from 

March 15, until the holding of the track meet. 
Track meet: to be held in the latter part of 

April. 

2. Summer sports shall start with the beginning of the 
summer vacation and end with the opening of 
school. 

Baseball. 

Tennis tournament. 

3. Fall sports shall start with the opening of school 
and close with the beginning of the Christmas 
vacation. 

Swimming meet — Last Saturday in August. 
Handball tournament — September 1st. 
Rugby football — September 1st. 
Basketball — For the SO, 95, 110 and 120 pound 
classes to start October 15th. 

4. Winter sports shall start with the Christmas vaca- 
tion and end March 15th. 

Soccer football. 

Basketball for the 130, 145 and unlimited 
classes. 
This schedule applies to the large formal leagues only. 
Literally hundreds of other varieties of games are 
played all the year round. 

GYMNASIUM. 

Outdoor gymnasium apparatus is provided on nearly 
all the playgrounds. Here the supervisors instruct on 
the rings, bars and in tumbling, wrestling, etc. 



MANUAL, TRAINING. 

On several of the recreation grounds opportunities for 
boys' and girls' occupation work are offered. Model 
building, clay modeling, basketry and raffia are the prin- 
cipal branches taught. 

SMALL CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT. 

Supervisors are required to teach a great number of 
circle, singing and running games for the benefit of 
small children coming to the playgrounds. Story telling 
hours are occasionally held when professional story- 
tellers from the Oakland Library Department come and 
entertain the children with tales about adventures, 
fairies and folk-lore. The sand box is always in evi- 
dence and is well patronized by the little tots. 

FOLK DANCING. 

Folk dancing is an important department for girls and 
small children. Almost every day on each playground 
classes are held and the children learn to dance the folk 
dances of the old and new world. 

CLUBS. 

A favorable method for handling groups on the 
recreation ground is by organizing them into clubs for 
various purposes. There are outdoor women's clubs for 
the mothers, older sisters and friends of the children, 
groups of Campfire Girls for girls between twelve and 
eighteen years of age, Blue Bird groups for girls under 
twelve, boys' clubs formed for numerous purposes, and 
dramatic clubs. 

The clubs are organized with a president, secretary 

and various committees and are responsible for tneir 

own activities with such assistance as may be given 

them by the supervisors. 

Any person may join a club by vote of the members, 

or a new club will be organized when a large enougn 

group is formed. 

FIELD HOUSES. 

The field houses on the various playgrounds are 
equipped with shower baths, dressing rooms, toilets, 
lavatories and lockers. Clean towels are supplied for 
the shower baths. There is also maintained on each 
playground a supply of athletic materials, such as base- 
balls, footballs, basketballs, bats and games. These 
supplies are issued to the patrons very much in the 
same manner as books are issued from the Public 
Library, except that all supplies must be used on the 
playground and must be returned before closing time 
each day. All these facilities are free to the public. 

RECREATION CENTER BUILDINGS. 

Several recreation center buildings are maintained by 
the department and are equipped with halls, game 
rooms, committee meeting rooms and dressing rooms. 
These buildings are used for club meetings, dramatics, 
entertainments, games and social purposes. Free per- 
mits for the use of these buildings may be obtained by 
any responsible organization which will comply with 
the rules and regulations. 

WALKING TRIPS. 

During the summer season frequent trips (or hikes) 
are planned and conducted into the nearby woods and 
hills. Many boys and girls cannot go away for the 
summer vacation, and these trips afford them an oppor- 
tunity of enjoying the country without expense. 



MUNICIPAL BOAT HOUSE. 

The new municipal boat house and recreational activi- 
ties on Lake Merritt have recently been placed under 
the control of the Board of Playground Directors. 

The boat house is equipped with row boats, sail boats, 
canoes and large whale boats for use for crew rowing. 
Lockers and mooring privileges are provided for pri- 
vately owned boats. An excursion launch is in opera- 
tion and makes regular excursion trips around the lake. 

During the month of October 1914 (the second month 
of operation of the boat house) 11,119 persons went 
out in boats. Of this number over half the rides were 
practically free, being in the form of crew rowing- for 
school boys and girls and the balance in private boats, 
of which there are now 107. 




MUNICIPAL BOAT HOUSE — LAKE MERRITT. 



In spite of all the gratis use of this aquatic playground 
of the City of Oakland and the consideration chiefly 
for the welfare of the public and in spite of the reduc- 
tion to half of the former price for rent boats, this new 
institution has more than paid its own operating ex- 
penses. 

AQUATIC SPORTS. 

The chief source of interest in aquatic sports on Lake 
Merritt is due to the introduction of the crew rowing in 
the twelve-oared navy whale boats. These boats, 28 to 
30 feet long, are used in the navy for rowing practice 
and for racing. They are the lightest and most grace- 
ful model and yet exceptionally seaworthy. A number 
of these were purchased by the City of Oakland at pub- 
lic auction from the Mare Island Navy Yard and placed 
on Lake Merritt a few months ago. 

It was not long before various clubs and schools took 
advantage of this facility. The boats are provided with 
copper air tanks to insure perfect safety and are very 
steady because of their size — thus being adapted to 



school rowing. The inspiration of team work in twelve 
persons pulling at the oars at the same time was re- 
sponsible for the rapid gain in popularity of this sport. 

Crews were formed from the following schools and 
clubs: 

Grammar Schools — Prescott, Intermediate No. 1, Cole, 
Jefferson, Lincoln, Garfield, Sequoia, Clawson, Melrose 
Heights, Emerson, Hawthorne, and Lockwood. 

High Schools — Fremont, Oakland, Berkeley, Poly- 
technic and University High Schools. 

University of California, Mills College, Miss Horton's 
School, Miss Earnard's Kindergarten Training School. 

Playground Crews — de Premery, Mosswood and Bush- 
rod Women's Outdoor Clubs, Allendale Girls' Crew, 
Poplar Street Playground Crew, and Bonita Club. 

Working Boys and Girls Crews — The Spartan Club, 
Alerts, Mosswoods and T. W. C. A. 

Some of these schools and clubs enumerated are rep- 
resented by a number of crews, which gives some con- 
ception of the number to date who are receiving the 
benefit of this wholesome outdoor activity. In order 
to stimulate the interest in this sport regattas are held 
on the lake on the last Saturday of each month. 




ANNUAL, MAT FESTIVAL. 



FESTIVALS. 

One of the most interesting activities in the play- 
grounds is the preparation and production of festivals, 
pageants and celebrations. Every national holiday, such 
as Independence Day, Washington's Birthday, and 
Admission Day, is celebrated with suitable ceremonies 
at each playground. 

The Annual Playground May Festival is a fixed insti- 
tution in Oakland and is looked forward to by thou- 
sands of our citizens. In 1914 the May iFestival was 



held in Lakeside park. 1500 children participated in 
the various pageants. About 10,000 people witnessed 
the production. 

GROWTH OF DEPARTMENT. 

ATTENDANCE. 

No. of Persons 
Fiscal Year. attending Playgrounds. 

1908-09 (one month) 595 

1909-10 (eight months) • • 11,125 

1910-11 (twelve months) 280,165 

1911-12 (twelve months) '. . .432,486 

1912-13 (twelve months) • • 738,805 

1913-14 (twelve months) 978,569 

1914-15 (six months) 697,188 

GAMES PLAYED. 

Baseball. Basketball. Volleyball 

1908-09 112 52 29 

1909-10 1,224 365 1,002 

1910-11 •• 5,012 2,647 12,687 

1911-12 10,563 3,073 4,371 

1912-13 15,098 4,323 8,030 

1913-14 ...28,018 8,654 24,274 

1914-15 (six months) .. .19,473 9,125 17,506 
880 Sunday baseball permits issued July 1, 1913, to 
June 30, 1914. 

NUMBER OF EMPLOYES. 

July. December. 

1909 5 3 

1910 15 11 

1911 ■• 27 22 

1912 50 49 

1913 53 49 

1914 64 71 

NUMBER OF GROUNDS MAINTAINED. 

1908-09 2 

1909-10 •■ 5 

1910-11 9 

1911-12 •• 11 

1912-13 13 

1913-14 15 

1914-15 38 



FINANCES. 



1908-09 
1909-10 
1910-11 
1911-12 
1912-13 
1913-14 
1914-15* 



Amount of 

Appropriation. 

! 750.00 

9,480.97 

19,769.65 

40,000.00 

50,000.00 

77,400.00 

77,839.00 



How 
Maintenance, 
$ 

2,491.88 
11,658.51 
18,885.89 
32,390.16 
43,865.47 



Expended. 
Improvements. 
$ 

6,989.09 

6,111.14 

21,604.61 

17,994.90 

33,962.58 



* (Present Fiscal Year). 



These statistics show the remarkable expansion of the 
recreation work in Oakland. It will be seen that a large 
part of each appropriation has been spent in permanent 
improvements, and the cost of maintenance has been 
comparatively low. 



The people of the community feel that they are get- 
ting a direct return in use and service for the money 
expended in playgrounds and recreation. Great credit 
is due the Board of Playground Directors for Oakland's 
splendid and economical development of the Recreation 
Department and its activities. The members of this 
Board receive no compensation and give much valuable 
time and thought to the improvement and operation of 
our playgrounds. 

LOCATION OF OAKLAND PLAYGROUND AND 

RECREATION CENTERS AND HOW 

TO GET TO THEM. 

MUNICIPAL BOAT HOUSE — Oak street, near Four- 
teenth street; telephone Oakland 3936. Any eastbound 
car at Twelfth or Thirteenth and Broadway. 

Park Playgrounds. 

BAY VIEW- — Eighteenth and Wood streets. Any car 
marked S. P. Depot at Twelfth or Fourteenth and 
Broadway. 

BELLA VISTA — Eleventh avenue and East Twenty- 
eighth street; telephone Merritt 790. Thirteenth avenue 
and East Twenty-eighth street car at Thirteenth and 
Broadway. 

BUSHROD — Sixtieth street and Shattuck avenue; tel- 
ephone Piedmont 5612. Telegraph or Shattuck avenue 
car at Fourteenth and Broadway. 

DE FREMERY — Eighteenth and Poplar streets; tel- 
ephone Oakland 2 48 8. West Sixteenth street car at 
Fourteenth and Broadway. 

GOLDEN GATE — Sixty-second street and San Pablo 
avenue; telephone Piedmont 8478. Richmond car. 

MOSSWOOD — Thirty-sixth and Webster streets; tele- 
phone Piedmont. 130. College avenue car at Fourteenth 
and Broadway. 

PARK BOULEVARD — Park Boulevard and Newton 
avenue; telephone Merritt 4639. Fourth avenue car at 
Thirteenth and Broadway. 

POPLAR STREET — Thirty-second and Peralta 
streets; telephone Piedmont 8392. Grand avenue and 
Hollis street car (westbound) at Fourteenth and Broad- 
way. 

School Playgrounds No. 1. 

ALLENDALE — Penniman avenue and Short street. 
Car marked "Allendale" at Twelfth and Broadway. 

ELMHURST — Ninety-eighth avenue between Cherry 
and Plymouth. Elmhurst car. 

EMERSON — Forty-ninth street between Lawton a'nd 
Shafter. Telegraph avenue car. 

GARFIELD — Twenty-third avenue and East Sixteenth 
street. Fifty-fifth avenue car. 

HAWTHORNE — Tallant street between Fruitvale 
avenue and Sausal creek. East Fourteenth street car. 



LOCKWOOD — East Fourteenth street between Sixty- 
seventh and Sixty-eighth avenues. East Fourteenth 
street or Hayward car. 

LONGFELLOW — Market between Apgar and Thirty- 
ninth streets. San Pablo avenue or Grove street car. 

MELROSE- — Fifty-second avenue and East Four- 
teenth street. East Fourteenth street or Hayward car. 

PRESCOTT — Tenth and Campbell streets. Grove- 
West Eighth street car. 

TOMPKINS — Fifth and Linden streets. Grove-West 
Eighth street car. 




GIRLS' SECTION — DE FREMERY PLAYGROUND. 



School Playgrounds No. 2. 

(Supervised after school hours only by teachers.) 

CLAREMONT — College avenue between Shafter av- 
enue and Birch Court. College avenue car. 

COLE — Tenth street between Union and Poplar 
streets. West Twelfth street car. 

DEWEY — East Twelfth street between Thirty- 
seventh and Thirty-eighth avenues. East Fourteenth 
street car. 

DURANT — Twenty-eighth street between Grove and 
West streets. Grove street car. 

FRANKLIN — Ninth avenue between East Fifteenth 
and East Sixteenth streets. Dimond car. 



FRUITVALE — Boston between School and Montana 
streets. Dimond car. 

GRANT — Broadway and Twenty-ninth street. Pied- 
mont or College avenue car. 

HARRISON — (Fourth and Harrison streets. Water 
street car. 

HIGHLAND — "A" street between Eighty-fifth and 
Eighty-sixth avenues. Elmhurst car. 

JEFFERSON — Carrington between Thirty-ninth and 
Fortieth avenues. Allendale car. 

LAFAYETTE — West street between Seventeenth and 
Eighteenth streets. West Sixteenth street car. 

LAKEVIEW — Perry between Van Buren and Grand 
avenues. Grand avenue car. 

LAUREL — Kansas between Brown and Patterson av- 
enues. Allendale car. 

LAZEAR — Park street between Elmwood and Rail- 
road avenues. Twenty-third avenue-Alameda car. 

LINCOLN — Alice street between Tenth and Eleventh 
streets. East Eighth street car. 

MANZANITA — East Twenty-sixth street between 
Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth avenues. East 
Eighteenth street car. 

McCHESNEY- — Thirteenth avenue between East 
Thirty-seventh and East Thirty- eighth streets. Fourth 
avenue car. 

MELROSE HEIGHTS — Ignacio between Congress 
and Vicksburg streets. Fifty-fifth avenue car. 

PIEDMONT — Piedmont avenue and Echo street. 
Piedmont avenue car. 

SANTA FE — Market street between Fifty-third and 
Fifty-fourth streets. San Pablo car. 

SEQUOIA — Scenic street between Lincoln and La- 
guna. Dimond car. 



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Gaylord Bros. 

Makers 

Syracuse, N. Y, 

PAT. JAN. 21, 1908 



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